Butterfly Dreams

 One of my favorite greens is a  quinoa relative, Good King Henry or Fat Hen. Like Shakespeare"s Puck , this ' Henry'  is a Nature spirit or sprite!   I've had my patch of Blitum Bonus-henricus  for over 15 years and appreciate this sturdy perennial's carefree nature!  The patch in my Galloway Garden thrived in a corner that rarely got extra water. I brought some along when i moved, and it's near my front door,  in the poteger. It's one of my first spring greens, (and this mild winter, hasn't died back!) I found the idea for porridge made from greens on a British  blog .  One of the blessings of perennial vegetables is, with their deep, established roots they draw up more nutrients, especially minerals.    Good King Henry Like me, Alison enjoys growing perennials. With their deep root systems, they are more nutrient dense than their annual counterparts! The flavor may be stronger, so allow yourself to experiment with cooking method...

 Winter is prime time for garden planning, and savoring the bounty in seed catalogs with a warm cuppa is a cozy way to cheer up cold grey days! Morning cuppa A favorite organic gardener and chef in Wales, Gaz Oakley, reminds us to consider flavor, and include heritage varieties! A vegan himself, he has a little flock of retired rescue hens, in charge of pest management, providing companionship and fertility - and his neighbors are grateful for the eggs!  Black cap raspberries   From my garden journal, 2006,  "For too long vegetable gardening has been obsessed with shape and SIZE.  Better that care be lavished from tilth to table on growing tasty food, whose beauty is a bi-product to be relished."  Montague Don, the Sensuous gardener.  In a later chapter, Don comments that there was a shift to growing for size and quantity when men took on a larger role, as there's  'an inbuilt relationship between Horticulture and gastronomy when the person(s) coo...